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Printer ink — run a nozzle check before a second clean

Printer ink

Before a second printer ink clean cycle burns more cartridges, print a nozzle check page so you know which stalls need ink — one small beat.

nozzle check before second printer ink clean — related household tip photo
Photo: Klosito / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A second printer ink clean cycle can waste a lot of ink cartridges. Print a nozzle check (or similar pattern page) first so you see which colors are weak before you burn another clean.

Nozzle check before a second printer ink clean

  1. From the printer menu or computer utility, run the nozzle check / test pattern — not a deep clean — and let the page finish without canceling mid-print.
  2. Compare each color bar or grid: missing lines in one stall mean that cartridge or its printhead path needs attention; a full solid pattern means stop cleaning.
  3. Only start a clean cycle for the weak stall your manual allows. One short clean plus another nozzle check beats two blind cleans in a row.
  4. If the same gaps remain after one clean and a fresh cartridge of the right ink cartridge number, stop — further cleans rarely fix a clogged or failed printhead.

Honest stop: laser toner streaks are not an inkjet nozzle check problem — use a toner/drum path instead of ink clean cycles.

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